Process of producing a graduated surface on etched or engraved printing plates, &amp;c.



` UNITED srnns PATENT oiuuon.

WALTER J. WICKERS AND EATRCK M. FURLONG, OIEv BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

rnoonss or PRODUCING A GRADUATED SURFACE oN ETCHED on ENGRAVED PRINTING- PLATES, ae. Y

SpeciiieationV of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 18, 1917.

Original application filed. January 22, 1902, -Serial No. 90,811. Renewed March 14, 1917, Serial No. 154,905.

Divided and this application filed August 23, 1902. Serial No. 120,794;

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that We, WALTER J. WIcxnRs and PATRICK i/I. ,FURLONQ citizens of the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, city of New York, have invented a Process of Producing a Graduated Surface on Etched or Engraved Printing- Plates, and Electrotype and Stereotype DuplicatesThereof; and we do khereb-ydeclare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, Whichwvill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention consists of a method of producing a graduated printing surface on relief or incised plates by lowering the surfaces carrying the lighter tones or raising those carrying the darker tones, or by using both these operations on one plate. To do this We use an etched or engraved plate reduced in ythickness from the standard heretofore used. We lay upon the back of this plate the ordinary printers overlay, now used upon press cylinders, consisting of sheets of papers or similar material laid together in graduated thicknesses according to the darkness or lightness of the tones of the picture, the greatest thickness opposite the darkest tone. Ve then place the printing plate upon its face upon Wax,ror other similar semi-solid or plastic material, in a press, and exert pressure evenly on a plane surface upon the back of the plate and the overlay. By this pressure, the graduation existing upon the overlay at the back of the plate, is transferred to the face of the plate, through the bending and swaging ofthe plate. This printing plate is now ready for use upon the printing press when backed in the usual manner, Without any preliminary making ready.

The Wax or other material into which the printing plate has been pressed is now impressed With an intaglio impression of the printing plate, and constitutes a matrix upon which an electrotype shell may be de posited in the usual manner of the art.

If desired, We use this method conversely; z'. e., We place upon the face of the printing platea reversed printers overlay-one With the thickest parts over the lightest tones.-

We place this reversed overlay upon the face of the printing plate, and place the plate face upward upon the Wax or other semi-solid and liquescent material in a press, and exert pressure evenly on a plane surface upon the face of the plate and overlay. By this pressure the graduation existing upon the overlay on the front of the plate, is transferred to the back through the bending and Vswaging of the plate. The

printing plate is noW ready for use upon the Y A printing press, When backed in the usual 'manner, Without any preliminary making ready. l

It will be manifest that the Wax, or

analogous material, in which the printing In the drawing Figure rk represents a cross-section through a printing-plate, havn ing upon its surface four different tones of shade, in sections marked a, o, c, and d. The section marked a is the darkest, being plain surface unrelieved by cutting; o is the next darker; c the next; and Z the lightest. The depth of the cutting into the plate is exaggerated, to make it more plain to the y sight.

Fig. B represents a cross-section through an overlay composed of different sheets, cut avvay to correspond With the tones on the printing-plate Fig. A.

Fig. C represents a power-press, e, with its face superimposed upon the back of the overlay B, which is in turn superimposed upon the back o-f the printing-plate A which rests upon its face upon a bed' of Wax, f.

Fig. D represents a cross-section through the printing-plate` after pressure has been applied in the press. The levels a, b, c, and d, are now transferred totheface and. correspond in positiony to the tones in those sections, the darker' tones being elevated abo-ve the others proportionately to their darkness. The difference in elevation of these different sections is exaggerated, to make the effect of the process more plain.

7e are aware of the English Patent No. 5,744 of 1901, granted to Eugene Albert of Munich, Bavaria, for Improvements in the manufacture of printing blocks, and that he transfers under his process the graduations of an overlay to a printing block by pressure. Our process, above-described, contains however, marked improvements over his patented process in the following particulars l. The use of a thin plate of metal, thus permitting of the operation of the process without heating of the plate.

2. The use of a semi-solid liquescent material into which to press the plate, thus permitting a. more perfect transference to the plate of the graduation existing upon the overlay or reversed overlay, as described.

3. The decrease in the time and expense of preparing printing plates, owing to the readiness with which cold plates may be expeditiously pressed into the wax, with only moderate pressure.

il. By this improved process a graduated printing surface is produced upon a printing plate, with acute angles in the planes of the metal at the edges of the various tones, upon ordinary7 plates; and also with the desired rounded edges upon vignetted plates.

Vhat we claim as our invention is:

l. The method of preparing a graduated printing surface which consists in applying to the back of a metallic plate an overlay of graduated thicknesses, placing said plate face downward upon plastic material, and subjecting the plate and overlay to pressure, thereby transferring said graduations of the overlay to the printing surface of the plate and simultaneously therewith producing in the plastic material a matrix from which a replica. of the printing surface can be produced.

2. The method of preparing a graduated printing surface on a metallic plate which consists in applying to the back of a thin etched metallic plate an overlay of graduated thicknesses, the thicker portions of the overlay corresponding to the darker tones of the subject to be printed and the thinner portions to the lighter tones of said subject, placing the plate face downward in plastic material, and subjecting the plate and overlay to pressure, whereby the graduated thicknesses of the overlay are adapted to produce elevations and depressions in the printing surface of the metallic plate, and simultaneously producing a matrix in the plastic material.

3. The method of preparing a graduated )rintinc' surface on a metallic )late which l D L consists in applying to the back of a thin metallic plate, provided on its face with an etched subject to be printed, an overlay of graduated thicknesses, placing said plate face downward in plastic material, and subjecting the plate and overlay to pressure, whereby the gradations in thicknesses of the overlay act with different pressures on the plate and produce in the printing surface thereof elevations and depressions corresponding to the tones of the subject to be printed.

i. The method of simultaneously producing a printing surface on a metallic plate and a bas-relief matrix in plastic material which consists in applying to the back of a thin metallic plate, having on its face an etched printing surface of a subject, an overlay of graduated thicknesses, placing the plate on the plastic material, and subjecting the plate and overlay to pressure, thereby producing in the face of the plate permanent elevations and depressions and at the same time producing in the plast-ic material a matrix having a surface corresponding to the graduated surface of the metallic plate.

5. The method of preparing graduated printing surfaces which consists in pressing an engraved plate, having an overlay of graduated thicknesses applied to one face thereof, into a plastic material, thereby simultaneously transferring the graduati-ons of the overlay to the engraved face of the plate and producing a matrix with a similarly graduated surface in the plastic material.

6. rlhe method of producing graduated printing surfaces which consists in providing on the back of an original engraved plate an overlay of graduated thicknesses, pressing said plate face downward into plastic material, thereby transferring to the engraved face of the original plate graduations corresponding to the thicknesses of said overlay and simultaneously therewith producing in the plastic material a matrix the surface of which is graduated similarly to the engraved surface of said original plate, and subsequently producing replica from the graduated surface of the matrix, whereby the replica is provided with a graduated printing surface corresponding to that of the original etched plate.

7. The method of producing graduated printing surfaces which consists in providing on the back of an original engraved plate an overlay of graduated thicknesses, pressing said plate face downward into plastic material, thereby transferring to the engraved face of the original plate graduations corresponding to the thicknesses of said overlay and simultaneously therewith producing in the plastic material a matrix graduated correspondingly to the surface of the surface of Which is graduated similarly the original plate.

to the engraved surface of said original WALTER J. WICKERS. plate, and thereafter electrolytically deposit- PATRICK M. FURLONG. ing a metallic shell in contact with the grad- Witnesses:

uated surface of the matrix, whereby said CLEMENT L. BOYD,

shell is provided With a printing surface GEORGE DUDLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

